A dream has power to poison sleep.
Percy Bysshe ShelleyRead
I arise from dreams of thee_x000D_ _x000D_ In the first sweet sleep of night,_x000D_ _x000D_ when the winds are breathing low,_x000D_ _x000D_ and the stars are shining bright.
Interpretation
This quote expresses the deep emotional connection and longing felt for a beloved person during moments of tranquility.
In this quote, Percy Bysshe Shelley describes the profound experience of awakening from dreams about a beloved, illustrating how deep love can permeate even the stillness of night. The imagery of 'the winds breathing low' and 'the stars shining bright' emphasizes a serene and romantic atmosphere, enhancing the emotional depth of the speaker's feelings and their connection to the person they dream of.
In practice
During a wedding toast, one might say this quote to highlight the romantic feelings between the couple.
A dream has power to poison sleep.
Senseless is the breast and cold _x000D_ _x000D_ Which relenting love would fold;_x000D_ _x000D_ Bloodless are the veins and chill _x000D_ _x000D_ Which the pulse of pain did fill; _x000D_ _x000D_ Every little living nerve _x000D_ _x000D_ That from bitter words did swerve _x000D_ _x000D_ Round the tortur'd lips and brow, _x000D_ _x000D_ Are like sapless leaflets now _x000D_ _x000D_ Frozen upon December's bough.
A sensitive plant in a garden grew,_x000D_ _x000D_ And the young winds fed it with silver dew,_x000D_ _x000D_ And it opened its fan_x000D_ _x000D_ like leaves to the light,_x000D_ _x000D_ and closed them beneath the kisses of night.
I am the daughter of Earth and Water, And the nursling of the Sky; I pass through the pores of the ocean and shores; I change, but I cannot die. For after the rain when with never a stain The pavilion of Heaven is bare, And the winds and sunbeams with their convex gleams Build up the blue dome of air, I silently laugh at my own cenotaph, And out of the caverns of rain, Like a child from the womb, like a ghost from the tomb, I arise and unbuild it again.
O, wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?
Ah, woe is me! Winter is come and gone. But grief returns with the revolving year.
Sometimes," I ventured, "it doesn't occur to boys that their mother was ever young and pretty. . . I couldn't stand it if you boys were inconsiderate, or thought of her as if she were just somebody who looked after you. You see I was very much in love with your mother once, and I know there's nobody like her.
Her eyes are homes of silent prayers.
Veils of love which was only hate petrified by longing--that was me.
I still believe in peace, love and understanding.
Women were like rivers, their banks were unreachable, the night often rang with the cries of the drowned.
You will hear thunder and remember me, And think: she wanted storms. The rim Of the sky will be the colour of hard crimson, And your heart, as it was then, will be on fire.
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